Anticreeper



Nov. 13, 1923. 1,47%52 J. R. STEELE ANTIGREEPER Filed F'eb. 25, 1925 IN VE 'TOR Patented Nov. 13, 1923.

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JAMES ROBERT STEELE, OF OWEGO, NE'W YORK.

ANTICREEFBEB.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, JAMEs ROBERT STEELE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Owego, in the county of Tioga and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Anticreepers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved anticreeperof the type covered by my Patent No. 1,245,056, dated October 30, 1917, the object being to render the device more eflicient while reducing its cost.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof:

Fig. 1 shows a rail in vertical transverse section, the anti-creeper applied thereto being seen in elevation, dotted lines showing the wedge member in initial position, before driving;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, indicating a portion of a tie;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the form of wedge member shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. dis a view like Fig. 1, with the upper part of the rail broken away,'showing another form of the wedge. I

The yoke 1 is inexpensively formed of an entirely flat plate cut or punched out to represent a hollow interior, with upstanding and inwardly projecting ends 2, 3 adapted to hook over the flanges of the rail-base, and an under-rail portion l; the top of which latter is at a distance below the rail A and constitutes a wedge-way 5, which is inclined in its longitudinal direction and transversely of the rail with respect to the plane of the rails bottom face when the yoke is seated on the rail-base. A relatively short wedge or driven member 6 is adapted to be driven between and in contact with the surface or edge 5 and the bottom of the rail, transversely of the rail from a position nearer the end 2 toward the end 8, that is to say up the incline, in order to clamp the device as a whole on the rail by slightly springing the yoke so as to secure a firm and lasting grip between the hook ends on top of the rail-base and the driven member beneath.

VJ hen the yoke is in place the under surfaces or edges of its hook ends 2, 3 overlie the top surfaces of the rail flanges, preferably inclining at approximately the same angles therewith; and the back of the recess beneath the end 2, near the low or starting end of the wedge-way, abuts laterally, at 7, against the corresponding edge of the railbase, so that the yoke is thereby prevented from shifting transversely of the rail in the direction of driving. At the opposite end of the yoke, that is to say the end toward which the member 6 is driven, the recess 8 beneath the hook end 3 is made substantially deeper in the horizontal direction than the recess beneath the hook end 2, or, in other words, the hook end 3 is materially longer than the hook end 2, so that the back of this recess is spaced away from the corresponding edge of the rail-base so that there is no abutment or bearing at this side between the edge of the rail-base and the end of the yoke. This is the end nearer the high part of the wedgeway. The amount of this undercut or recess 8 beneath the hook end 3 is suflicient to permit the yoke to be tilted laterally onto the rail, while the wedge or driven member 6 is on the under-rail portion a of the yoke, near the end 2, the end 8 being hooked first over its side of the rail-base. The depth of the recess 8 and the unbroken slope of the under surface or edge of the hook end 3 also enable the yoke to be applied to various widths of rail-base. The end section of the top of the under-rail portion a of the yoke beyond the high point of the wedge-way 5 and extending to the back of the recess 8 swings somewhat downward at 9 to facilitate the putting on of the anti-creeper. The wedge is then driven from its starting position to the approximate center of the rail, or

slightly beyond the center, thereby producing the unrelaxing grip of the, device upon the rail.

According to one form of the present improvement the wedge 6 is an angled member of inverted wide V-shape, making a light, strong, rigid and functionally advantageous construction, adapted to be cheaply made by cutting up an angled strip. One or both of the limbs are slotted vertically from the end, part way to the apex, as shown at 10, so as to straddle the top of the under-rail portion of the yoke, in order to retain the wedge against lateral displacement. The upper ends 11 of the slots in the limbs thus constitute spaced points of bearing defining a relatively Wide base in contact with the yoke surface 5, along which the wedge is driven, while the apex 12, preferably flattened or rounded, is an interinediate narrow region of bearing upon the bottom face of the rail. A wedge, of a generally triangular or equivalent nature, will always hear truly iii functional advantages over a wedge havingfiat, converging top and bottom surfaces. The spaced points of bottom bearing also enable the wedgemember to ride on a. way that may be irregular or not a straight in cline, and in addition, as stated, a wedge of .th1s character can be manufactured very cheaply.

The function of the anti-creeper is of course, by clinging to the rail and abutting against the tie or tie-plate to prevent longitudinal movement of the rail; and, it is immaterial whether the wedge or the yoke abuts the tie. With the wedge slotted to embrace the yoke and therefore projecting laterally, the wedge bears against the tie when the device is first installed, and in comparatively short time it becomes our bedded in the wood and the yoke then bears flat against the tie. The yoke is at all times at right angles to the rail.

7 Fig. 4 shows a construction in which the short wedge or driven member 6 is substantially oircrescent form, arranged like the wedge 6 so as to have a relatively wide,

two-point bearing on the yoke and a central bearing at the top against the rail. In both cases sharp edges or corners are preferably initially provided at the points 11 or 11*,enabling the wedge as it is driven to shape the surface 5, which is likely not to be perfectly formed.

While two embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood that there may be various other changes in tormrproportions, arrangement and details.

hat I claim as new is: V

1. An anti-creeper of the kind described, comprising a yoke having book ends to take over the rail flanges and an under-rail portion, and a relatively short wedge member adapted to be driven lengthwise of said under-rail portion and transversely beneath the rail to produce a. resilient clamping, said wedge member being substantially triangular.

comprising a yoke having hook ends to take over the rail flanges and an under-rail por tion, the top of said under-rail portion forming a way inclined transversely of the rail with respect to the plane of the bottom of the rail-base, a short wedging member adapted to be driven along said way and transversely of the rail, said wedging member having a base slidable on said wayand a narrow top bearing against the bottom face of the rail. K 7

4. An anti-creeper of the kind described, comprising a yoke having hook ends to take over the rail flanges and an under-rail por; tion, and a. wedging member comprising an angled piece having its limbs slotted to straddle said under-rail portion and adapted to bear at its apex against the bottom of the rail when driven transversely thereto.

An anti-creeper of the kind described, comprising a'yoke having hook ends to take over the rail flanges and a connecting under-rail portion the top of whirh is sloped transversely of the rail, and a short transversely driven Wedge having two spaced corners or edges to bear upon the top of said under-rail portion of the'yoke and a narrow top to bea against the bottom face of the rail; r

6. An anti-creeper of the kind described, comprising a yoke havingchook ends to take over the rail flanges and anunder-rail portion, and a flat angled piece constituting a wedging member adapted to be driven along said underrail portion and transversely beneath the rail. Q

7. An anti-creeper comprisinga flat plate yoke formed with hook ends to engage the rail-baseand a connecting under rail portion, and an inverted V member slotted to straddle said under-rail portion and adapt-- ed to bear at its apex against the bottom of the rail.

JAMES ROBERT-STEELE. 

